Just as Zhenru emerged from the volcano feeling completely refreshed, Qin Yue had vanished without a trace.

After searching the surroundings with his divine sense, he still couldn't find Qin Yue. He then sent a message talisman to him, but still received no response. Just as he had guessed, Qin Yue might have left in a hurry.

After all, absorbing this drop of Golden Crow essence blood took quite a while, and Qin Yue couldn't just wait outside indefinitely.

Given Qin Yue's strength, having entered the Ascension Tower, even a Nascent Soul cultivator might not be able to do anything to him.

No longer worried about Qin Yue, Zhenru finally had the opportunity to use her eyes again.

The eyes, which had been poisoned by the bird demon, were completely burned away by Zhenru during the process of absorbing the Golden Crow's essence blood.

Not only did her eyes regain their sight, but her weapon also seemed to have undergone some incredible change. However, for some reason, Zhenru could only perceive this change for the time being, but could not use it.

Zhenru touched her newly restored eyesight, thought for a moment, and then became happy again.

By this point, she had absorbed five of the nine drops of Golden Crow essence blood, and Zhenru had more confidence than ever before in the remaining four drops.

Having already taken the lion's share, the remaining four drops are not only easier to sense, but even if they develop their own consciousness like this drop, they won't be able to escape easily anymore.

After cleaning up the traces she had left behind, Zhenru thought for a moment, sent a message to her other companions, and then returned to the Qingxuan Dao Sect.

...

“Fellow Daoist Zhenru, this shows a lack of faith in my Qingxuan Dao Sect.”

After hearing Zhenru's purpose, the Qingxuan Sect Master's chubby face, which usually held a smile, was now filled with endless sorrow as he looked at Zhenru.

Zhenru's face twitched slightly, but she subtly rubbed her shivering arms, maintaining her polite and courteous demeanor as she said:

"I appreciate the goodwill of the Sect Master and the Qingxuan Dao Sect, but the fact that the higher-ups have come so quickly suggests that someone has been secretly keeping an eye on things for a long time."

"Using too many people on me only makes the goal stand out more; it's easier to hide it if I'm alone."

Before the Qingxuan Sect Master could say anything more, Zhenru smiled and spoke again:

"However, I have another matter I would like to ask the sect leader for help with."

The Qingxuan Sect Master stopped himself from offering his advice and gestured to Zhenru, saying:

"What's this talk of helping or not? Fellow Daoist Zhenru, just say the word. As long as it's within my power, I will definitely go to great lengths for you!"

Zhenru smiled, not pointing out the hidden meaning in the other person's words, and continued sincerely:

"If I ever leave the Solid Spirit Realm, and my other companions encounter difficulties, I hope the sect leader can lend a hand when possible."

"Although they may not always be training in the Solid Spirit Realm, the Solid Spirit Realm is still the only place besides the Sun Realm where we have friends and acquaintances."

The Qingxuan Sect Master's smile returned.

With their combined strength, even if Zhenru were not present, they would not be targets that any sect or force could easily provoke or crush.

As long as they don't court death and don't openly try to destroy other sects or families, no fool in the Solid Spirit Realm would provoke them. Why would the Azure Profound Dao Sect need to help them?

It was just this young genius expressing his friendliness.

Remembering what the patriarch had said—that one shouldn't leave too much of a trace and just do one's best—Sect Master Qingxuan didn't say anything more, only stating with a righteous expression:

"What are you saying, fellow Daoist?"

“You are a friend of my Qingxuan Dao Sect, so your friends are naturally also friends of my Qingxuan Dao Sect. Why do you need to ask for help when it is necessary?”

This is how the two of them reached a consensus.

Having achieved his goal, Zhenru did not linger and rose to take his leave, saying:

"Then let's part ways here. If the sect leader ever needs my help, please feel free to send me a message."

"Then I wish Fellow Daoist Zhenru a safe journey and that he will soon achieve his wish."

Zhenru smiled and cupped his hands in greeting, then turned and stepped out of the sect master's hall, heading towards the outer perimeter of the Qingxuan Dao Sect, preparing to reunite with his companions.

When they arrived at the agreed meeting point, Zhenru was surprised to see that even Lei Wuxin was there.

Lei Wuxin noticed her gaze, but pretended not to see it, walked straight up to her, and spoke first:

"I'll go with you."

Zhenru: "?"

She turned to look at her friends, who all shook their heads, looking equally bewildered.

Lei Wuxin continued to walk around to Zhenru's side, staring at her intently as he said:

"Let me go with you, I can help you."

Zhenru felt a little awkward and wanted to say no, but judging from the other person's attitude, if she refused, the other person would definitely continue to pursue her, and the situation became tense for a while.

Feng Piaopiao, who had been winking and making faces at the sidelines for a while, seized the opportunity and immediately stepped forward to stand between the two, saying to Lei Wuxin with dissatisfaction:

"What makes you think you can come along?"

"I'm Zhenru's best friend! I didn't even say I was going, why are you going?"

“Even if it wasn’t me, the other people and Zhenru would be closer to you than you are.”

Yes, Feng Piaopiao's mouth was as annoying as ever, but no one else objected.

Lei Wuxin wasn't angry, but the way he looked at Feng Piaopiao wasn't like the way he looked at a person; it was more like the way he was evaluating a magical artifact, and it was full of disdain.

“You can’t help her, so of course you have no face to follow, but I can help her, so of course I can follow.”

Feng Piaopiao was furious when she heard this.

"Who are you calling weak? Everyone came from the Ascension Tower!"

"So what if you're more capable? In crucial moments, what matters is absolute trust, not strength!"

"Who knows whether a stranger will help in a crucial moment or stab you in the back?"

Lei Wuxin frowned, but he didn't want to argue with Feng Piaopiao. He gave him a disdainful look, ignored his gesticulation, and directly raised his hand to create an isolation shield, separating Zhenru from himself.

“Fellow Daoist Zhenru, I am helping you.”

"Although you seem very strong now, the truly powerful people in the lower realm are not as incompetent as you think."

"I chose to help you not because I had any ulterior motives, but because fate had chosen you, and I had no choice but to help you."

If Zhenru knew that someone like Lei Wuxin was focused solely on cultivation, with nothing to do with the outside world or interpersonal relationships, and would only submit to the strong.

It's not fair to say they're arrogant or look down on those weaker than them; it's just that they don't even consider them.

It's hard to say whether it's right or wrong, and Zhenru doesn't really have any opinion; she simply wants to act alone.

Zhenru also sensed from Lei Wuxin's words that the other party might know some secrets about the Sun Realm that she herself did not.

But she didn't intend to investigate, and simply smiled politely:

"Thank you for your kindness, but I can manage on my own..."

“In the Sun Realm… or rather, in other realms, the most outstanding and top-tier cultivators are not those who are out in the open.”

"To put it bluntly, the geniuses and elites who are out in the open are all targets; if they die, they die."

"I chose to help you because..."